Have you ever tried to ask God for help with a difficult situation? Has God ever actually answered you? In few cases does God actually arrive to help much less hold a conversation with you, that is, unless you are Joseph. In fact, Joseph gets so lucky that God not only shows up but also engages young Joseph in a heated argument. I know, so "not fair", right?
As you continue down the page, you can find out all the juicy details about how God comes to the rescue and how their quarrel began. As an extra bonus, I even added some information about Joseph's character, in case you are wondering why God would want to save him, and even some interesting information about God's true nature which may actually change your opinion of him, but who am I to convince you anyway? So, go on, read ahead to get all the inside information to learn how to get God to save you and maybe even talk to you too!
Dialogue
Character Analysis
Joseph’s passive attitude towards verbal and physical struggles with other characters causes him to resort to deceit as a tool to get his way. In Jacob Accused by Potiphar’s Wife, by Rembrandt van Rijn, Jacob stands by on one side of a bed, while Potiphar, a noble Egyptian and his wife stand by the other side apparently in conversation. Joseph’s calm expression, conveyed by the lack of tension in his face in contrast to the other characters, shows that he does not wish to defend himself for his alleged misdeeds, the apparent topic of discussion between the couple, but instead prefers to endure whatever future punishment quietly.
Joseph’s nature causes him to go through many situations in his life like this that seem difficult at first but eventually work out well for him. For example, his brothers sell him off as a young teenager to Israelites because they dislike his position as their father’s favorite, and fortunately his habit of not resisting at this time leads to his becoming one of the most powerful men in Egypt. However not all situations end so happily; when Joseph’s luck runs out and he finds himself in a difficult situation, the circumstances often force him to use deceit and clever trickery to get him out of the tough spot. When his brothers arrive unknowingly at his house looking to buy grain several years after selling him away, he does not immediately uncover his identity and bring out his anger; instead he acts as though they are strangers and sends them back home with the grain as well as the money they paid him for it which he had secretly replaced in their bags. The brothers arrive at home and unpack their bags to find a surprise and “when they and their father saw their bundles of money, they were dismayed” (Gen 42.35). The brothers’ being “dismayed” about regaining their money may seem ironic, but it portrays that Joseph has managed to trick them by forcing them to go back to Egypt to return the money to him. Joseph not only uses this tactic once but performs it an additional time when the brothers come back to get more grain, only adds on to the trick by framing one of the brothers for a theft in order to test their loyalty to one another.
God’s controlling attitude towards the people on Earth causes him to act aloofly when interacting with them. After Jacob sees a dream of God and pledges his belief to him, God appears and introduces himself saying, “‘I am the Lord’” (Gen. 28.13). The word “lord” often indicates one who has great power and by calling himself this God also uncovers his desire to use it; as God refers to himself as such,he shows that he expects to have full control over his people. God also displays his inclination to use or show off his power when he decides to destroy the whole world save for Noah and his family simply because the others do not please him. Since God uses his high position to its greatest extent, he often treats the people on earth as lowly and insignificant. InJacob’s Dream by Ferdinand Bol, both God and an angel bless Jacob, but from different proximities. God’s great distance from Jacob as he blesses him shows that he feels even his favorites do not deserve of his full and true attention because he of his great superiority to them. God also shows this quality when he destroys the tower of Babel that all the people collaborate on making and divide them by language and homeland because of his fear of their taking over his high role which further contributes to his continuous poor treatment of them to prevent encouragement of them trying to do so.
Artists
Ferdinand Bol
Ferdinand Bol, born in Dordrecht in the year 1616, studied under the master artist Rembrandt in his studio during 1635; he was greatly influenced by his teacher and continued to imitate his style through out his career. Bol was particularly known for his Biblical allegories which actually represented the current government and political situation.
Rembrandt van Rijn , born in Leiden in the year 1606 to a poor miller, received an excellent education but preferred to turn it down to study art instead.Rembrandt's entire life seems to be devoted to art; when Rembrandt decided to get married, he wed a Saskia van Uylenburgh a relative of a succesful art dealer in order to advance his career. He not only worked as an artist, but through out his life he also became the owner of a large collection of major art pieces and the teacher of many later successful young artists. Rembrandt worked mostly with mythological and Biblical subjects, a common style for the period.
Original Brainstorm
Script
Narrator: Once again Joseph’s brothers punish young Joseph for his tall tales. Brother:(laughing) Ha! That’s what you get for telling us all your silly stories.
(punching)
What? Aren't you going to tell us another ridiculous dream about how one day your going to be so great, the king of this and that, and how we will all bow down to you. As if that could ever happen. Joseph: (meekly) No. Brother: (sneering) Well, I will leave you and your bruises alone so you can make up some new "dreams" to tell everyone about.
(footsteps) Joseph:(groans) Oh God, why do I have to go through this every day? Oops. Narrator: God's voice sounds in Jacob’s ear, as he lies injured on the ground from his brother's attack.
(dramatic music) God: How may I be of assistance to you today, young Joseph? Joseph: um... God: Why have you called upon me? I told you only to call on me in times of need, not for any of your nonsense, child. Joseph:(defensively) I didn't mean to. It was a mistake. God: Well, don't make mistakes. I don't have time for mistakes. I have so many more important things to do. So if you don't have anything to whine about, I will be going now. Have a good day. Joseph: Wait... I mean, now that you mention it. God: I am waiting. Hurry up... I don't have all day. Joseph: I was hoping that maybe you could stop my brothers from bullying me all the time; you know if it's not too much trouble. God: (laughs) Oh, is that all? A few scratches here and there won’t do you any harm. In fact, looking at your size, a little wrestling could probably do you some good. Joseph: Well, sometimes might be all right, but my cruel brothers nearly kill me every day. God: (laughs) Nearly kill you! What an enthusiastic imagination! Used with the perfect combination of over-dramatization and a racing mind with just a touch of sincerity, and its almost convincing even. Joseph: Seriously, I can't stand it anymore. Waking up day after day, knowing all I have to look forward to in my future is yet another beating. God: Oh come on, stop complaining. I have made other people's lives much worse than yours. Ever heard of starvation?
Joseph: But I'm always nice to them, and I always do what they say. I just don't understand why they hate me so much. God: Well, you have... never mind. Joseph: Well, what? Tell me... what have I ever done? It’s just not fair! It’s not my fault if father likes me more than them any way. God: You could at least fight back. But no, all you ever do is let them beat you up and then just sit around and complain, complain, complain. Joseph: Well, maybe I just don't want to give them another reason to hate me, ever think of that? God: (laughs) Oh, don't be such a coward. Joseph: (frustrated) It's not funny! Anyway it's not like you would ever get it. You have never had to live under someone else's thumb. All you ever do is go around destroying places and ruining people’s lives and then laughing about it. You have never faced difficulties like I have. I would like to see you try taking my place. Anyway, anyone can see it’s their fault. It doesn’t even take anyone as special as you. Why don't you just go punish them and get it done with? Narrator: Joseph surprises even himself with his uncharacteristic outburst. Just as he finishes his angry words, he realizes what he has done and cowers back awaiting God’s wrath. Joseph: (shakily) I mean…um… uh… Sorry? God: (angrily) Never forget that I have your life in my hands. Every wrong move you make puts your good future at risk. Joseph: (to himself) Oh no, he was right, my life really could be much worse.
(to God) Oh yes, God. You're right. I am so sorry. I should never have complained in the first place. I do not know what's wrong with me today. God: Of course I am right. When am I ever wrong? And now if you don’t mind I will be taking leave of your oh so cheerful company. Joseph: Oh no, you go ahead. I know ruling the world is a very difficult job, please go ahead. Good-bye. God: Good riddance. Joseph: Thank goodness that was a close one.
Script Analysis
Although Joseph is portrayed as a passive character at first, he proves that he knows how to react when in a truly dangerous situation by using the important survival skill of deception. As the scene opens, Joseph’s brother stands abusing and mocking young Joseph. When the elder brother loudly and rudely questions his younger brother, Joseph meekly responds with a simple “No” (Shelley G.). His short, defenseless answer gives insight into Joseph’s peaceable character and desires to avoid any unnecessary conflict at all costs even if it means getting hurt or putting himself at risk.
This trait continues through Joseph’s encounter with his brother and then further into his experience with God where he shows another side of his passive nature by not disclosing his difficulties with his brother until God repeatedly asks him about it and threatens to leave.
However Joseph, an astute child, knows he cannot push his limits too far and learns to use deception when needed to get out of situations when he truly stands in the path of danger. After provoking God by impatiently yelling at him for his lack of understanding and sympathy, Joseph quickly realizes his mistake and evaluates the consequences he may have to face for it. He immediately responds although he has not yet decided on how to correct his mistake: “I mean…um…uh…sorry?”(Shelley G.). Joseph’s hesitation before his apology shows his coming up with a deceitful plan to cover up his error with a clearly not very heartfelt apology as it follows his honest and angry opinion of God.
Fortunately, God does not seem to catch on to Joseph’s obvious dishonesty, so Joseph manages to reuse this tactic further to completely any possible trouble. Joseph continues to share his insincere feelings with God until God leaves and Joseph gives himself away by acting relieved at God’s recent disappearance.
Reflection
Looking over the long list of characters from the Genesis, my eye lands on Joseph’s name. I consider him for a moment thinking about what I know of his life and decide that he needs a childhood. Equipped with the knowledge of his hating brothers and the clues I have deduced about his character, I begin to construct an event from Joseph’s past; consequently I decide that since God played a major role in Joseph’s adult life, he must have done the same during Joseph’s childhood years and he enters my script next.
This became the most challenging piece of the process for me; after I wrote it once, I proceeded to tinker with it and tweak it many times until it reached a point of near satisfaction. After having read over it for what seemed the millionth time, I could only sigh because the piece itself did not command attention nor evoke extreme hilarity or even heart wrenching sorrow, rather it simply was and is. Although I attempted to fix it many times, I do not feel that the actual script transformed into the success I desired but instead became a kind of weakness for my project over all in my opinion.
On the other hand, the other components of the project, especially the analysis portion showed my strength in this project. I believe that my character analysis in this project, in particular my original analysis of Joseph based on Rembrandt’s painting demonstrates my improvement with analytical writing during this year. I actually enjoyed writing this paragraph because the original ideas seemed to simply appear in my head making this piece quick and easy for the first time.
Another step of the process, the recording proved similarly simple and rather quick again, although the editing became a difficult, tedious, and an extremely time consuming task for me; although when I had completed it, I thoroughly enjoyed the work I had put into it. The remaining parts of the project including this one also came quite easily, surprisingly as I had had a rather difficult time when I began these types of assignment at the start of the year. In particular, my ability to work relatively quickly especially amazed as I had reported timing issues as my continuous weakness throughout this year. Overall, I enjoyed this assignment and was impressed by how far I have come from the beginning of the year in all the things we covered in this project, creative work, analytical writing, and reflection pieces.
Pleas of Please
Introduction
Have you ever tried to ask God for help with a difficult situation? Has God ever actually answered you? In few cases does God actually arrive to help much less hold a conversation with you, that is
As you continue down the page, you can find out all the juicy details about how God comes to the rescue and how their quarrel began. As an extra bonus, I even added some information about Joseph's character, in case you are wondering why God would want to save him, and even some interesting information about God's true nature which may actually change your opinion of him, but who am I to convince you anyway? So, go on, read ahead to get all the inside information to learn how to get God to save you and maybe even talk to you too!
Dialogue
Character Analysis
Joseph’s passive attitude towards verbal and physical struggles with other characters causes him to resort to deceit as a tool to get his way. In Jacob Accused by Potiphar’s Wife, by Rembrandt van Rijn, Jacob stands by on one side of a bed, while Potiphar, a noble Egyptian and his wife stand by the other side apparently in conversation. Joseph’s calm expression, conveyed by the lack of tension in his face in contrast to the other characters, shows that he does not wish to defend himself for his alleged misdeeds, the apparent topic of discussion between the couple, but instead prefers to endure whatever future punishment quietly.Joseph’s nature causes him to go through many situations in his life like this that seem difficult at first but eventually work out well for him. For example, his brothers sell him off as a young teenager to Israelites because they dislike his position as their father’s favorite, and fortunately his habit of not resisting at this time leads to his becoming one of the most powerful men in Egypt. However not all situations end so happily; when Joseph’s luck runs out and he finds himself in a difficult situation, the circumstances often force him to use deceit and clever trickery to get him out of the tough spot. When his brothers arrive unknowingly at his house looking to buy grain several years after selling him away, he does not immediately uncover his identity and bring out his anger; instead he acts as though they are strangers and sends them back home with the grain as well as the money they paid him for it which he had secretly replaced in their bags. The brothers arrive at home and unpack their bags to find a surprise and “when they and their father saw their bundles of money, they were dismayed” (Gen 42.35). The brothers’ being “dismayed” about regaining their money may seem ironic, but it portrays that Joseph has managed to trick them by forcing them to go back to Egypt to return the money to him. Joseph not only uses this tactic once but performs it an additional time when the brothers come back to get more grain, only adds on to the trick by framing one of the brothers for a theft in order to test their loyalty to one another.
God’s controlling attitude towards the people on Earth causes him to act aloofly when interacting with them. After Jacob sees a dream of God and pledges his belief to him, God appears and introduces himself saying, “‘I am the Lord’” (Gen. 28.13). The word “lord” often indicates one who has great power and by calling himself this God also uncovers his desire to use it; as God refers to himself as such,
Artists
Rembrandt van Rijn , born in Leiden in the year 1606 to a poor miller, received an excellent education but preferred to turn it down to study art instead.Rembrandt's entire life seems to be devoted to art; when Rembrandt decided to get married, he wed a Saskia van Uylenburgh a relativ
Original Brainstorm
Script
Narrator: Once again Joseph’s brothers punish young Joseph for his tall tales.
Brother:(laughing) Ha! That’s what you get for telling us all your silly stories.
(punching)
What? Aren't you going to tell us another ridiculous dream about how one day your going to be so great, the king of this and that, and how we will all bow down to you. As if that could ever happen.
Joseph: (meekly) No.
Brother: (sneering) Well, I will leave you and your bruises alone so you can make up some new "dreams" to tell everyone about.
(footsteps)
Joseph:(groans) Oh God, why do I have to go through this every day? Oops.
Narrator: God's voice sounds in Jacob’s ear, as he lies injured on the ground from his brother's attack.
(dramatic music)
God: How may I be of assistance to you today, young Joseph?
Joseph: um...
God: Why have you called upon me? I told you only to call on me in times of need, not for any of your nonsense, child.
Joseph:(defensively) I didn't mean to. It was a mistake.
God: Well, don't make mistakes. I don't have time for mistakes. I have so many more important things to do. So if you don't have anything to whine about, I will be going now. Have a good day.
Joseph: Wait... I mean, now that you mention it.
God: I am waiting. Hurry up... I don't have all day.
Joseph: I was hoping that maybe you could stop my brothers from bullying me all the time; you know if it's not too much trouble.
God: (laughs) Oh, is that all? A few scratches here and there won’t do you any harm. In fact, looking at your size, a little wrestling could probably do you some good.
Joseph: Well, sometimes might be all right, but my cruel brothers nearly kill me every day.
God: (laughs) Nearly kill you! What an enthusiastic imagination! Used with the perfect combination of over-dramatization and a racing mind with just a touch of sincerity, and its almost convincing even.
Joseph: Seriously, I can't stand it anymore. Waking up day after day, knowing all I have to look forward to in my future is yet another beating.
God: Oh come on, stop complaining. I have made other people's lives much worse than yours. Ever heard of starvation?
Joseph: But I'm always nice to them, and I always do what they say. I just don't understand why they hate me so much.
God: Well, you have... never mind.
Joseph: Well, what? Tell me... what have I ever done? It’s just not fair! It’s not my fault if father likes me more than them any way.
God: You could at least fight back. But no, all you ever do is let them beat you up and then just sit around and complain, complain, complain.
Joseph: Well, maybe I just don't want to give them another reason to hate me, ever think of that?
God: (laughs) Oh, don't be such a coward.
Joseph: (frustrated) It's not funny! Anyway it's not like you would ever get it. You have never had to live under someone else's thumb. All you ever do is go around destroying places and ruining people’s lives and then laughing about it. You have never faced difficulties like I have. I would like to see you try taking my place. Anyway, anyone can see it’s their fault. It doesn’t even take anyone as special as you. Why don't you just go punish them and get it done with?
Narrator: Joseph surprises even himself with his uncharacteristic outburst. Just as he finishes his angry words, he realizes what he has done and cowers back awaiting God’s wrath.
Joseph: (shakily) I mean…um… uh… Sorry?
God: (angrily) Never forget that I have your life in my hands. Every wrong move you make puts your good future at risk.
Joseph: (to himself) Oh no, he was right, my life really could be much worse.
(to God) Oh yes, God. You're right. I am so sorry. I should never have complained in the first place. I do not know what's wrong with me today.
God: Of course I am right. When am I ever wrong? And now if you don’t mind I will be taking leave of your oh so cheerful company.
Joseph: Oh no, you go ahead. I know ruling the world is a very difficult job, please go ahead. Good-bye.
God: Good riddance.
Joseph: Thank goodness that was a close one.
Script Analysis
Although Joseph is portrayed as a passive character at first, he proves that he knows how to react when in a truly dangerous situation by using the important survival skill of deception. As the scene opens, Joseph’s brother stands abusing and mocking young Joseph. When the elder brother loudly and rudely questions his younger brother, Joseph meekly responds with a simple “No” (Shelley G.). His short, defenseless answer gives insight into Joseph’s peaceable character and desires to avoid any unnecessary conflict at all costs even if it means getting hurt or putting himself at risk.This trait continues through Joseph’s encounter with his brother and then further into his experience with God
However Joseph, an astute child, knows he cannot push his limits too far and learns to use deception when needed to get out of situations when he truly stands in the path of danger. After provoking God by impatiently yelling at him for his lack of understanding and sympathy, Joseph quickly realizes his mistake and evaluates the consequences he may have to face for it. He immediately responds although he has not yet decided on how to correct his mistake: “I mean…um…uh…sorry?”(Shelley G.). Joseph’s hesitation before his apology shows his coming up with a deceitful plan to cover up his error with a clearly not very heartfelt apology as it follows his honest and angry opinion of God.
Fortunately, God does not seem to catch on to Joseph’s obvious dishonesty, so Joseph manages to reuse this tactic further to completely any possible trouble. Joseph continues to share his insincere feelings with God until God leaves and Joseph gives himself away by acting relieved at God’s recent disappearance.
Reflection
Looking over the long list of characters from the Genesis, my eye lands on Joseph’s name. I consider him for a moment thinking about what I know of his life and decide that he needs a childhood. Equipped with the knowledge of his hating brothers and the clues I have deduced about his character, I begin to construct an event from Joseph’s past; consequently I decide that since God played a major role in Joseph’s adult life, he must have done the same during Joseph’s childhood years and he enters my script next.This became the most challenging piece of the process for me; after I wrote it once, I proceeded to tinker with it and tweak it many times until it reached a point of near satisfaction. After having read over it for what seemed the millionth time, I could only sigh because the piece itself did not command attention nor evoke extreme hilarity or even heart wrenching sorrow, rather it simply was and is. Although I attempted to fix it many times, I do not feel that the actual script transformed into the success I desired but instead became a kind of weakness for my project over all in my opinion.
On the other hand, the other components of the project, especially the analysis portion showed my strength in this project. I believe that my character analysis in this project, in particular my original analysis of Joseph based on Rembrandt’s painting demonstrates my improvement with analytical writing during this year. I actually enjoyed writing this paragraph because the original ideas seemed to simply appear in my head making this piece quick and easy for the first time.
Another step of the process, the recording proved similarly simple and rather quick again, although the editing became a difficult, tedious, and an extremely time consuming task for me; although when I had completed it, I thoroughly enjoyed the work I had put into it. The remaining parts of the project including this one also came quite easily, surprisingly as I had had a rather difficult time when I began these types of assignment at the start of the year. In particular, my ability to work relatively quickly especially amazed as I had reported timing issues as my continuous weakness throughout this year. Overall, I enjoyed this assignment and was impressed by how far I have come from the beginning of the year in all the things we covered in this project, creative work, analytical writing, and reflection pieces.
Works Cited
Bol, Ferdinand. Jacob's Dream. 1642. Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister, Dresden. Art and the Bible. Web. 6 May 2010.<http://www.artbible.info/art/large/459.html>.
Bol, Ferdinand. SELF PORTRAIT AT THE AGE OF 30. 1644. Dortrecht Museum. Essential Vermeer. Web. 6 May 2010. http://www.essentialvermeer.com/dutch-painters/dutchimages/bolself.jpg.
"Biography of Ferdinand Bol."National Maritime Museum. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 May 2010. <http://www.nmm.ac.uk/mag/pages/mnuInDepth/Biography.cfm?biog=167>.
Kren, Emil, and Daniel Marx. "REMBRANDT Harmenszoon van Rijn."Web Gallery of Art. N.p., n.d. Web.19 May 2010. <http://www.wga.hu/frames-e.html?/bio/r/rembran/biograph.html>. Rijn, Rembrandt Van.
Joseph Accused by Potiphar's Wife. 1655. National Gallery of Art, Washington D.C. The Artchive. Web. 6 May 2010. <http://www.artchive.com/artchive/R/rembrandt/potiphar.jpg.html>.
Rijn, Rembrandt Van. Self portrait. 1630. Nationalmuseum, Stockholm. Codart. Web. 6 May
2010.<http://www.codart.nl/images/Br011SelfPortrait1630Stockholm.jpg>.
SOS Sign. N.d. Clearly New Mexico. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 May 2010. <http://clearlynewmexico.files.wordpress.com/2009/03/sos1.jpg>.
Vahan, Shirvanian. "Passive Cartoon 3." Cartoon. Cartoonstock. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 May 2010. <http://www.cartoonstock.com/lowres/vsh0105l.jpg>.